Library of the Month: Library of Congress

November 6th 2012 saw the re-election of President Barack Obama in the United States. This month the Library of Congress is our featured library. Thanks to Audrey Fischer for providing the article and links below …

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution and the largest library in the world. The Library’s unparalleled collection comprises more than 151 million items in various languages, disciplines and formats. The Library provides Congress with the most authoritative, unbiased research on a wide variety of subjects to assist them in their legislative duties. It also fosters an informed electorate by providing the public with access to the legislative process at Congress.gov.

Throughout its illustrious history, the Library of Congress has evolved into an institution that, in addition to serving Congress, also support the research needs of various constituencies such as scholars, educators, the visually impaired (through its talking-book program) and the general public. The Library is home to the U.S. Copyright Office that registers more than 500,000 works for copyright annually and maintains a mint record of American creativity. The Law Library of Congress, with more than 5 million items in various formats, contains the world’s largest collection of law books and other resources from all countries and provides online databases and guides to legal information worldwide.

The Library’s rich resources can be accessed in person in its 21 reading room and around the world through its website. The Library is also leading the national effort to establish standards and procedures for preserving the country’s digital content and well as a multinational effort to building World Digital Library.